Internal-combustion engine



June 26, 1945.

J. D. TUCKER INTERNAL*COMBUSTION ENGINE 2 Sheets Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 20, 1943 NQW RN INVENTOR Jesse 1). Tu c]: er

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HTT'YS June 26, 1945. TUCKER 2,379,119

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Sept. '20, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 la/ z /lil/fllllllllllllllll,

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INVENTOR Jesse 2. Tucker Patented June 26, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,37 9,119 IN TERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Jesse D. Tucker, Lodi, Calii'., asslgnor of ten per cent to Boine W. Fuller, Lodi, Calif.

Application September 20, 1943, Serial No. 503,014

2 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and particularly to one adapted for use in airplanes where compactness, small wind resistance, and low weight, compared with great power output, are highly desirablefeatures.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide an engine so constructed that side piston thrust is eliminated; the pressure on the propeller shaft bearings is neutralized; the shaft and the entire engine assembly are perfectly counterbalanced; the oscillating movement of the connecting rods and consequently the friction developed is greatly reduced; heat losses through the cylinder wall is lessened, giving in efiect greater power; head wind resistance of the engine is greatly reduced over that obtained by engines of conventional design; and great power is obtained from the engine with a minimum of weight.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a sectional proved engine.

Figure 2 is a transverse section substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and assuming that the wobble plate unit is vertically disposed.

Figure 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a piston showing the connecting rod mounting.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the engine comprises an elongated housing of generally cylindrical or barrel form and preferably made of two main initially separate sections I and 2 abutted end to end and secured together by bolts 3. Each main section, however, may in itself be built of a number of initially separate parts as manufacturing methods may necessitate.

A propeller shaft 4 projects lengthwise through the housing centrally thereof, being Journaled in suitable opposed bearing members 5 in the two housing sections. A plurality of open-ended cylinders 6 are disposed in the housing sections parallel to the shaft and grouped about a circle elevation of my imconcentric therewith, the cylinders in one section being alined with those in the other so that pairs of adjacent cylinders are provided in the two sections. These cylinders project in opposite directions from adjacent ends of the housing sections, to dimensions short of the opposite ends of the sections; enclosed firing chambers I being formed between the sections to register with the corresponding pairs of cylinders. The cylinders are fluid jacketed, as at 8.

Mounted on the shaft within the housing sections beyond the corresponding sets of cylinders are anti-friction wobble plate units disposed in opposed angular relation to each other. Each unit comprises a disc 9 fixed on the shaft and surrounded by a driving cage I!) which is turnably mounted on the disc by opposed anti-friction thrust bearings II. The cage includes a plate ii on one side of the disc which is removably secured on the main cage member by bolts l3, so that the unit, including the bearings, may be readily assembled or dismantled for repairs. The cage is formed with ball sockets H, facing and the same in number and radial placement as the cylinders. In order to prevent rotation of the cages III with the discs 9 so that. the sockets will be maintained in proper alinement with the cylinders, each cage is provided with one or more taper rollers l5 at its periphery and whose axis is roller moves between arcuate guides l6 fixed with the corresponding housing section and extending lengthwise thereof.

Pistons l1 are slidable in the cylinders, and connecting rods l8 having ball heads l9 and 20 on their ends seat respectively in the sockets l4 and in sockets 2| formed in the pistons. The

parts are proportioned so that when the antifriction wobble plate units are at their closest point of approach to each other, th pistons of the corresponding cylinders will be then fully retracted in their cylinders, as shown in Fig. 1. The angularity of the anti-friction wobble plate units of course determines the length of the piston stroke. It will thus be seen that if a fuel mixture is fired in the chamber 1 when the pistons are in such position, a rotative impulse will be imparted against both anti-friction wobble plate units from opposite directions, counterbalancing or neutralizing the pressure on the shaft or other parts.

The anti-friction mounting of the cages ID of the anti-friction wobble plate units is a vital feature in the successful and efliclent operation of the engine, since it largely eliminates the fric radial With the shaft. This tion which would otherwise tend to generate excessive heat and reduce the power output.

The housing section I is the front section of the engine and the shaft 4 projects therefrom for connection to a propeller. At the opposite ends of the housing the shaft terminates in a housing extension 2a projecting rearwardly from section 2. The corresponding portion of the shaft may be used to actuate the conventional intake nd exhaust valves 22 and 23, respectively, for each cylinder in the following manner:

Taking each intake valve 22 as an example, such valve is disposed in the housing section 2 radially out from the corresponding cylinder, and isformed with a stem 24 extending lengthwise of and parallel to shaft 4. This stem is engaged by a tappet 25 actuated by a push rod 26 projecting into the extension 2a. The push rod is connected to one arm of a bellcrank 21 mounted in said extension, the other arm of which is engaged by a tappet 2| disposed radially of shaft 4 and engaged by a cam 29 .mounted on a sleeve 30 which is turnable on the shaft. The sleeve is connected to the shaft to turn at a predetermined speed ratio by a common form of planetary gearing 3|. The sleeve may also be connected by gearing 32 to auxiliary shafts 33 to drive the oil pump, distributor, etc. Spark plugs 34, if such are used, are mounted in the housing section I opposite the corresponding valves and of course communicate with the different firing chambers I. All the working parts of the engine being enclosed in the housing and being capable of very compact grouping about the central shaft, the housing may be relatively small in diameter and may be shaped to offer a minimum of wind resistance. The form of drive connection between the pistons and the shaft not only balances the rotative strains on the shaft bearings, but provides a minimum of oscillating movement of the. connecting'rods, with a resultant reduction of friction and wear. Also, there is of course practically no side thrust on the pistons. The double opposed arrangement of the pistons and anti-friction wobble plate. units provides great power without any increase in the radial size of the engine, and also counterbalances the thrust on the propeller shaft.

The shaft 4 is provided with an oil passage 35 therethrough, adapted for connection with a force-feed oil supply as is common practice. From this passage, a radial passage 36 extends through each disc plate 9 to a channel C about the periphery thereof, while a passage 31 leads from the adjacent inner surface of the cage faci'ng the channel to each connecting rod socket l4.

By reason of the use of opposed cylinders connected at adjacent ends, and forming a firing chamber common to the pistons of both cylinders,

' necting with the passage in the usual cylinder heads are eliminated, and the heat normally lost by dissipation from such heads is conserved and put to useful work, increasing the power output of the engine.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An internal combustion engine including a casing, a shaft mounted for rotation within the casing, a cylinder disposed parallel to the shaft, a piston slidable within the cylinder, an antifriction wobble plate unit secured on the shaft and including a disc secured on the shaft in angular relation thereto, a recessed plate, the disc fitting within the recess, a cover plate secured to the recessed plate and covering the recess thereof and confining the disc within the recess, antifriction bearings interposed between the sides of the disc and the bottom of the recess and said cover plate, respectively, a piston rod on the pis-,

ton in the cylinder, a driving connection between the piston rod and the recessed plate, means to drive the piston, an oil passage through the shaft, an oil passage in the disc connecting with the passage in the shaft and leading to the recess, and means to force all through said passages.

2. An internal combustion engine including a casing, a shaft mounted for rotation within the casing, a cylinder. disposed parallel to the shaft. a piston slidable within the cylinder, an antifriction wobble plate unit secured on the shaft and including a disc secured on the shaft in angular relation thereto, a recessed plate, the disc fitting within the recess, a cover plate secured to the recessed plate and covering the recess thereof and confining the disc within the recess, anti-friction bearings interposed between the sides of the disc and the bottom of the recess and said cover plate, respectively, a piston rod on the piston in the cylinder, a driving connection between the piston rod and the recessed plate, means to drive the piston, an oil passage through the shaft, an oil passage in the disc conthe shaft and leading to the recess, an oil passage leading from the recess to the driving connection between the piston rod and recessed plate, and means to force oil through said passages.

JESSE D. TUCKER. 

